Healthcare Administration Scholarships

Although the money can definitely be good once you’ve worked your way up to a position in healthcare administration, most people don’t go into the field strictly for a paycheck. No matter what your motivation, anyone would agree that the last thing you want to do is pile up a mountain of student debt on your way to seeing better paydays.

College isn’t cheap these days, especially not if you’re going into a solid, well-respected program.

Scholarships are an excellent way to fill in your funding gaps. While loans are common and more easily obtained, you can end up paying them back for decades. A scholarship, on the other hand will put thousands of dollars toward your tuition payments and other necessities with little or no further obligation… and in the end you won’t be doing any more paperwork than you would if taking out another loan.

It takes some work to track down the right scholarships to fit your circumstances and program, but it’s well worth the time. Even if you only pin down one scholarship, it can take a real chunk out of the cost of tuition and books for a semester or two… if you land more, or some of the larger ones, you could conceivably get through school with almost no debt whatsoever.

What Qualifies You For a Scholarship in Healthcare Administration?

Although most scholarships have few or no obligations after they are awarded, that’s the easy part. The hard part comes up front, as you are applying alongside thousands of other potentially deserving candidates. The bulk of applicants for any given scholarship will be disqualified on a basic failure to conform with the scholarship award criteria.

Criteria are set by the awarding institutions or by benefactors who set up the bequests initially. In some cases, the criteria are very straightforward: you must meet basic qualifications for:

Type of degree being sought

Your enrollment status and progression

Grade Point Average

SAT scores

Some or all of these are established for almost every scholarship. Other boilerplate requirements usually exist to prevent nepotism or other favoritism.

Because academics are a primary theme that many scholarships are trying to promote, most awards committees will also look favorably on other achievements, even if they are not required. These can include:

Volunteer experience in the field

Statements of intent or essays

Capstone projects

Internship work

Other extracurricular efforts in the field

Letters of recommendation from professors, supervisors, or teachers

Beyond those basics, though, scholarships can become extremely specialized in focus.

Group Membership

One of the most common criteria for scholarship awards is contingent on belong to a particular group. This can be a voluntary membership, such as is required for the Richard P. Covert Scholarship for Management Systems from HIMSS, a $5,000 scholarship that is only open to HIMSS members.

Gender and Ethnicity

Scholarships may also be open to individuals on the basis of gender, or ethnicity. These scholarships are usually designed to encourage historically underrepresented students to go into the field.

But you don’t necessarily have to be in a traditionally underrepresented minority to take advantage of some of these, either. The Ellis Bonner Award is a rather fuzzy example of this sort of award—it offers up to $2,500 to a “non-traditional” graduate student in Healthcare administration.

Economic Status

Most scholarship award committees have a serious interest in making sure they are giving opportunities to students who would otherwise be overlooked or be unable to pursue a healthcare management degree. In many cases, you will have to demonstrate a financial need for the award. This is usually done by providing income statements and bank records from you or your parents (depending on the scholarship and often your age and grade level).

Locality

Other scholarships are offered only for students attending certain programs. This is common among colleges that offer scholarships, such as the Leslie Blide Memorial Scholarship for University of Wisconsin students.

Are attending programs at one of seven different schools, scattered between Oregon and South Carolina.

If you can meet all those criteria, you’re probably the only applicant!

Best Places to Look for Scholarships in Healthcare Administration

Although the big money scholarships can be appealing, it’s worth considering amassing a collection of smaller awards instead of putting all your efforts into one big one. You have better odds of being accepted if you put out more applications, and you may find there is less competition for scholarships with a smaller dollar amount attached to them.

It’s also worth looking at how many scholarships a particular endowment awards, not just the amount itself. Those handing out more awards improve your odds of receiving something. The Congressional Black Caucus General Mills Health Scholarship, which puts out between 40 and 46 $2,500 scholarships each year, fits into this category. In 2017, they made 44 awards totaling more than $100,000.

Industry Groups

Healthcare management industry groups are a significant source of scholarship funds. By investing in education for future healthcare administrators, they are bankrolling the health of the industry. You can find these groups operating at both the national and regional levels. The Medical Group Management Association (MGMA), a national non-profit representing professionals who manage medical practice groups, offers two different scholarship funds at the national level, but regional sections such as MGMA Midwest also have their own awards.

There are also certification bodies and other industry support groups that offers some scholarship funds. The American College of Medical Practice Executives, the standard setting and certification body of the MGMA, offers the Richard L. Davis National Scholarship, worth $1,500, to any graduate or undergraduate student studying healthcare or medical practice management anywhere in the nation.

Hospitals and Health Services

One often lucrative source of scholarship and grant money are the future employers of healthcare administrators: hospitals and health programs. Some of these can be enormously generous, such as the National Institutes of Health’s Undergraduate Scholarship Program. It offers up to $20,000 per academic year in tuition, educational expenses, and reasonable living expenses, not to mention paid research training at NIH during the summers. But it comes with a hook—you have to be willing to commit to accepting employment at NIH for at least as many years as you accepted their funding.

Universities themselves shouldn’t be overlooked as a source of scholarship funds. Almost all colleges have a wide variety of scholarships that are not specific to any particular program. They are simply designed to assist as many qualified students as possible in entering and completing a university degree. The financial aid office at your college will have the most information on these, as well as providing invaluable assistance in identifying and applying for other scholarships.

And because healthcare administration is, in addition to being its own specialty, a subset of general business and management education, don’t overlook business-oriented scholarships that might also be applied to healthcare administration degrees. Golden Key, for example, an international honor society, offers leadership scholarship awards that can cover almost any business-oriented degree discipline. With almost $13 million in awards handed out since 1977, it, and sources like it, shouldn’t be passed up.

Healthcare Administration Scholarships for Degree Programs in Your State

Must be a full-time undergraduate or graduate student from a federally recognized Native American tribe pursuing a degree in healthcare administration (among other fields) in an accredited U.S. college/university

Must submit tribal ID

Must submit personal essay demonstrating dedication to improving health in the American Indian community

Must be an undergraduate or graduate student in a health-care related field

Preference given to applicants who currently work in health care

Preference given to applicants who are members or veterans of the U.S. military

Preference given to applicants willing to work in Oregon or Arizona after graduation

Preference given to applicants who are currently attending one of the following schools: Western University of Health Sciences- COMP NW, Oregon State University, Northern Arizona University, Medical University of South Carolina, Linn Benton Community College, Glendale Community College, Arizona State University

Must be a graduating high school senior living in a state serviced by BNSF (includes Washington, Texas, South Dakota, Oregon, Oklahoma, North Dakota, New Mexico, Montana, Minnesota, Kansas, Colorado, California, Arizona)

Must be a Native American, Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian

Must be planning to study health administration (among other select majors)

Must be a graduating high school senior living in a state serviced by BNSF (includes Washington, Texas, South Dakota, Oregon, Oklahoma, North Dakota, New Mexico, Montana, Minnesota, Kansas, Colorado, California, Arizona)

Must be a Native American, Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian

Must be planning to study health administration (among other select majors)

Must be a graduating high school senior living in a state serviced by BNSF (includes Washington, Texas, South Dakota, Oregon, Oklahoma, North Dakota, New Mexico, Montana, Minnesota, Kansas, Colorado, California, Arizona)

Must be a Native American, Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian

Must be planning to study health administration (among other select majors)

Must be a full-time undergraduate junior or senior or a graduate student who has completed at least one semester of coursework in the College of Public Health and Health Professions at UF Health Shands

Must be a graduating high school senior living in a state serviced by BNSF (includes Washington, Texas, South Dakota, Oregon, Oklahoma, North Dakota, New Mexico, Montana, Minnesota, Kansas, Colorado, California, Arizona)

Must be a Native American, Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian

Must be planning to study health administration (among other select majors)

Must be a graduating high school senior living in a state serviced by BNSF (includes Washington, Texas, South Dakota, Oregon, Oklahoma, North Dakota, New Mexico, Montana, Minnesota, Kansas, Colorado, California, Arizona)

Must be a Native American, Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian

Must be planning to study health administration (among other select majors)

Must be a graduating high school senior living in a state serviced by BNSF (includes Washington, Texas, South Dakota, Oregon, Oklahoma, North Dakota, New Mexico, Montana, Minnesota, Kansas, Colorado, California, Arizona)

Must be a Native American, Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian

Must be planning to study health administration (among other select majors)

Must be a graduating high school senior living in a state serviced by BNSF (includes Washington, Texas, South Dakota, Oregon, Oklahoma, North Dakota, New Mexico, Montana, Minnesota, Kansas, Colorado, California, Arizona)

Must be a Native American, Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian

Must be planning to study health administration (among other select majors)

Must be a graduating high school senior living in a state serviced by BNSF (includes Washington, Texas, South Dakota, Oregon, Oklahoma, North Dakota, New Mexico, Montana, Minnesota, Kansas, Colorado, California, Arizona)

Must be a Native American, Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian

Must be planning to study health administration (among other select majors)

Must be a graduating high school senior living in a state serviced by BNSF (includes Washington, Texas, South Dakota, Oregon, Oklahoma, North Dakota, New Mexico, Montana, Minnesota, Kansas, Colorado, California, Arizona)

Must be a Native American, Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian

Must be planning to study health administration (among other select majors)

Must be a graduating high school senior living in a state serviced by BNSF (includes Washington, Texas, South Dakota, Oregon, Oklahoma, North Dakota, New Mexico, Montana, Minnesota, Kansas, Colorado, California, Arizona)

Must be a Native American, Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian

Must be planning to study health administration (among other select majors)

South Dakota Health Administration Scholarships

Must be a CHI Mercy Health employee for two years (part- or full-time) prior to applying for scholarship, or a volunteer who has completed 30 hours of service in the previous year, or a graduating high school senior in Barnes County, ND and a child or grandchild of a current CHI Mercy Health employee or volunteer

Must be a graduating high school senior living in a state serviced by BNSF (includes Washington, Texas, South Dakota, Oregon, Oklahoma, North Dakota, New Mexico, Montana, Minnesota, Kansas, Colorado, California, Arizona)

Must be a Native American, Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian

Must be planning to study health administration (among other select majors)

Must be a graduating high school senior living in a state serviced by BNSF (includes Washington, Texas, South Dakota, Oregon, Oklahoma, North Dakota, New Mexico, Montana, Minnesota, Kansas, Colorado, California, Arizona)

Must be a Native American, Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian

Must be planning to study health administration (among other select majors)

Must be a graduating high school senior living in a state serviced by BNSF (includes Washington, Texas, South Dakota, Oregon, Oklahoma, North Dakota, New Mexico, Montana, Minnesota, Kansas, Colorado, California, Arizona)

Must be a Native American, Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian

Must be planning to study health administration (among other select majors)